My old hairdryer was rubbish. I have very straight, thin hair but as the hairdresser always tells me, there is a lot of it. For that reason it takes ages to dry my hair - a mix of tipping it upside down, flipping it about and drying it in its parting. When I went home for a couple of weeks last Christmas I used my mum's new hairdryer and thought it was wonderful! Only 5 minutes to dry my hair?! Magic! I asked her whether Santa had already finished my Christmas present shopping or whether he might be able to fit one more gift in with two days to go until the big day. She said she would ask him. Anyway, Santa came through and I got my hair dryer!

It looks pretty much like most other hairdryers so I won't insult anyone by describing its shape, only to say it is black with a matt finish. In the box it came with a big black diffuser and a nozzle to concentrate the heat where you need it. There are variable heat settings on the hairdryer and I generally go for the hottest option, even though I know it isn't as good for my hair. I find that it dries my hair much quicker that way and is much quicker to dry my hair than any other hairdryer I've owned. The dryer is quite light which was one of the things I liked most about it. Others I've tried, including the ones used at the hairdressers are so big and heavy which puts me off completely. I don't want the additional hassle, I'm too lazy!

As I mentioned, it comes with a black hair diffuser which isn't useful to me in the slightest. The idea is that a diffuser will give curls to your hair and stop it going frizzy. The problem is my hair is so straight that it won't even curl after a night sleeping with rollers in so a diffuser really does nothing. It's only good if hair is naturally frizzy or has waves in it.

The hairdryer comes with a slim nozzle to concentrate the blast on particular areas of the hair. Along with the 'ionic technology' it gives a smoother appearance which is definitely noticeable. The three heat settings are good, although quite standard in a hairdryer. I always use the highest heat setting unless I'm really warm and need to cool down! There is also a cool air button which the hairdressers say is the best for the hair. It's stops hair frizzing and helps to bolster shine. There are two options for speed and again I find the highest setting is the best. The only reason I would use the lower setting is if I'm trying to listen to music or something on the TV!

My only issue with the hairdryer is that it gets very hot very quickly around the inch or so around the nozzle where the hot air comes out. After around a minute of use on the hottest setting the end is too hot to be able to touch it which doesn't seem right. I usually give it a minute to cool down before finishing my hair off each time I use it but with even longer, thicker hair than mine, this could be a problem. Luckily it hasn't stopped working because of it and it's not an area that you have to touch. It comes with a 2 year guarantee if there were any problems, but I'm pleased to say I've not needed to use it.

The hairdryer was purchased for £14.99 at Boots and is still available on their website and in store. I think it's an absolute bargain for such a good hair dryer. It is such an improvement from my old one as it dries my hair quickly without fuss. As I said, the main negative is the fact that it gets very hot, but this has not caused any major issues so far. I do think that I'll upgrade again quite soon and get something a bit more expensive and better for my hair, but this one has been great and comes fully recommended. 4 out of 5 stars.